Karin and I finished watching a movie on Saturday night. She took a shower and I turned on the television. I was not expecting much as we do not have cable and only get three or four channels (only one of which comes in well). Anyway, I was thrilled to find a Chris Farley sketch playing. His comic genius just hits all the right notes for me.

I found myself laughing out loud, calling for Karin to come in the room and watch it with me. She was mid-shampoo, so I shared the moment with the sleeping cat on my lap. 

We all know the power of laughter.

Few things feel as good as a laugh from the gut. At the heart of living a very cool life is connection and where there is connection, there is laughter. Without laughter in your life on a regular basis, whaddaya got?

Through the miracle of the interweb, I did a YouTube search looking for some Chris Farley clips. Here are a couple that tickled my fancy. The first one had tears coming down my face. The second is the one that brought me so much joy on Saturday and inspired me to share this.

Whether these clips are your cup of tea, I do not know. A sense of humor is like one's musical tastes. One size does not fit all.

The real point is to surround yourself with the people and things that make you laugh.

Not smile.

Not giggle.

But laugh out loud.

Maybe these will do the trick?

 

 

 

 

 call the concierge!

 

 

 

 

I mean, doesn't everyone?

Make of this what you will. My friend Wendy sent it to me (she's the one in red

So, wouldja?

 

 

 

 

 

I suppose there's a reason why YouTube sold for 1.65 billion dollars, right? I mean, it's just plain cool to be able to call up visual information with the stroke of a keyboard. Classic sports clips, inspiring speeches, and my favorite — music videos of artists that I like.

Today I searched for an old favorite of mine — Chris Whitley. Chances are good you've never heard of him, but I've felt a deep connection to him since meeting him after one of his performances in the mid 90's. (I wrote about the back story here. Worth a look).

To my great pleasure, I found several gems of Chris performing and even an interview.

In the interview he expressed his opinion that there are two kinds of music — there are entertainers — someone who doesn't write their own music, tries to tap into the popular culture, and is as much about the marketing as the sound. And then there are artists. (Chris did not elaborate about artists, but I will express my thoughts on the distinction here).

The focus of the artist is the personal connection to the work and expressing this feeling out to the world. Artists create what's true. Artist are quite "selfish" in this way. They are not performing for the people, they are not trying to write songs that will be hits, they create for themselves because this is where they find connection.

Simplified, the artist's reference point skews toward the internal and asks the question: Is what I am creating true?

The entertainer's reference point is more heavily weighted on the external and asks the question: Will what I put out there be liked by other people?

The greater truth is that asking if you are a entertainer or an artist is probably a false dichotomy. At the deepest level, the purpose of creation is not only to express, but also to connect. Remember the old riddle, "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?"

The answer is no.

By definition, sounds needs a receiver. An ear. Some device to record that sound. Likewise, no artistic creation, no matter how pure and true exists by itself. It needs a receiver. It requires someone to see it, read it, feel it, taste it, or listen to it.

So perhaps the space between being an entertainer and and artist is not a mutually exclusive divide. Like yin and yang, they are part of the same whole of creation, a constantly changing balance.

In the interview, Chris Whitley said he saw himself more as an artist. Chris is dead now. He never made millions. He never played at half-time of the Super Bowl. Again, you've probably never even heard his name. His music may not resonate with you. But I can tell you that his music never fails to stir something powerful in me, very often moving me to tears at the beauty I find there. He's gone, but the energy of his spirit transcends his exit from this world and is as alive as it ever was. I hope that to some degree, the same can be said for me after I die.

Many entertainers reap huge financial rewards and fame. Currently much of America (and the world) is fixated on celebrity. People who create little are famous for being famous. When we are bombarded with these messages repeatedly, it's not hard to be seduced by wanting same things in our lives, and perhaps making decisions without checking in with what's really true for us.

When the emphasis of our desires moves too far away from the connection, well, you can read about those lost people on the tabloid covers as well.

Connect first. Then radiate.

 

 PS — here's a video … Chris was the best guitar player I've ever seen and I've seen lots of good ones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know some people think I'm a little "out there," especially since lots of my interests and beliefs fall outside the mainstream. And well, I can be rather vociferous about them, I know.

I mean, I'm into dowsing rods, energy shifting, the power of intention, Human Design, WaveMaker machines…

What's next? Magic 8-Ball readings? Ouija Boards? Doing a psychic reading from people's nail clippings?

Perhaps, my friend. Perhaps…

But for now, I am going to share another interest of mine… and it's a timely one too…

I know lots of people do not believe in ghosts or spirits. And I'm sure lots of people will write me telling me what a fool I am for believing what is apparent in this video I'm about to share with you. They'll tell me it's a camera trick, that I'm too gullible. And my old favorite… "Are you sure you're a REAL doctor?"

Well have at me, my friends… For I believe. And I've got video to support my belief.

Footage from our friends Down Under…

Please, let me know what YOU believe in the comments…

A warning… this is a wee bit spooky!

A family got more than they bargained for when a recently installed baby camera captures perfect footage of a ghost in their child's bedroom. AMAZING!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Friday.

Doing lots of writing on this end. So much that my wrists are tiried from resting on this laptop. So much that I do not have time to write a post (remind me that I have a good one about the senator Larry Craig and the dynamics behind judgments. It'd be solid, I think.)

But I wanted to get some fresh content up here, and I'm digging into the archives for an audio I created a while back.

Want a cool life, stop being offended.

Ignore the first minute of the audio (except for the bootlegged 311 intro!)

Give a listen, if you dare!!!